Ultra-violet lights also known as UV lamps are known to provide a highly efficient way to germicidally remove pathogens like viruses and bacteria. UV sterilization has been used in treating air in duct systems, in treating water or other fluids, and in a number of uses in disinfecting surfaces.
The use of UV lights has to be achieved in such a way to avoid damage to the operator of the device. Eye damage and skin cancers could result from prolonged exposure, in the case of vision, even short exposures can be harmful.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,877 issued Jun. 10, 1997, inventor Edward L. Sinofsky disclosed in “Ultraviolet sterilization of instrument lumens” a way to use diffuse UV radiation via optical fibers to deliver cytotoxic radiation to the inner lumen surface to sterilize any biological agents which may be present within the instrument lumen. Sinofsky discloses a number of ways the optical fibers can be used in combination with a diffuser tip assembly coupled to it, and the combination fits inside the lumen. A goal of the inventor was to provide a safe and reusable device.
The present invention is an improvement over this prior art device that allows the device to be made cheaply and efficiently so the sterilizing or disinfection apparatus is reusable while flexible light tubes are made disposable to be discarded after use.
Another objective is to make a tube device that allows for quick attachment to a UV source and a quick detachment wherein only the tube assembly is discarded.
Another objective is to provide the apparatus with a protective feature wherein the emitted UV radiation is contained inside the apparatus and cannot be used unless the UV radiation is sealed inside the container. These and other benefits are discussed in the details of the invention as disclosed herein.